marmoset

[ mahr-muh-set, -zet ]

noun
  1. any of several small, squirrellike, South and Central American monkeys of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, etc., having soft fur and a long, nonprehensile tail: some species are endangered.

Origin of marmoset

1
1350–1400; Middle English marmusette a kind of monkey, an idol <Old French marmouset, apparently equivalent to marmos(er) to murmur (marm- (see marmot) + -oser v. suffix) + -et-et

Words Nearby marmoset

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How to use marmoset in a sentence

  • marmoset was fonder of riding than walking, so that Grampus had enough to do; but he did not put himself much about.

    Martin Rattler | R.M. Ballantyne
  • marmoset crossed over walking, like a tight-rope dancer, being quite au fait at such work.

    Martin Rattler | R.M. Ballantyne
  • This reminded him that he had left his pet marmoset in the Indian village, and a feeling of deep self-reproach filled his heart.

    Martin Rattler | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for marmoset

marmoset

/ (ˈmɑːməˌzɛt) /


noun
  1. any small South American monkey of the genus Callithrix and related genera, having long hairy tails, clawed digits, and tufts of hair around the head and ears: family Callithricidae

  2. pygmy marmoset a related form, Cebuella pygmaea: the smallest monkey, inhabiting tropical forests of the Amazon

Origin of marmoset

1
C14: from Old French marmouset grotesque figure, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012